The new exhibition starts where "Narva 44", which explored the Soviet bombing of Narva in 1944 and took place last year, ended.

After the war, the buildings of Narva's Old Town were still considered restorable, and in 1947 they were placed under heritage protection. In the following years, Estonian architects and art historians compiled several restoration projects for various buildings.

However, Curator and historian Madis Tuuder said the decision was made to demolish the ruins instead of preserving them due to political will and lack of resources.

"Many buildings that could have been restored were systematically destroyed. In their place, typical Soviet-era apartment blocks were built," he said.

"History does not recognize the subjunctive mood, but this also serves as a lesson for today's decision-makers—some decisions take on historical significance, and that significance is not always positive," the historian added.

During the 1950s, large-scale demolition intensified, leaving only a few dozen pre-war buildings intact.

The exhibition features illustrative material from the collections of Estonian museums and archives: Narva Museum (NLM), Estonian History Museum (AM), Estonian Museum of Architecture (EAM), Estonian National Archives (ERA), Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum (KLM), Archive of the National Heritage Board (MKA), Virumaa Museums (VM).

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